# Channel

> Learn how to segment your content using channels in a hub, organizing and distributing projects tailored to users' needs and interests.

https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/content-management/channel/

**Segment your content hub using channels. A channel groups one or more projects intended for a specific group of users (team, region, event…) and helps you distribute the right content to the right people.**

## What is a channel?

A channel is a sub-space of a [content hub](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/content-management/content-hub/). While the hub portal displays the "default" list of projects available to all, a channel brings together specific projects for a targeted audience.

- Market example: EMEA, North America, APAC
- Audience example: Sales Force, Partners, Internal Training
- Context example: Trade Show, Beta Testing, Onboarding

Access to a channel is via an access link. Without this link, the channel remains invisible in the hub interface for users.

> **Info: Hub vs Single App**
>
> A content hub groups several projects and can include channels. A single app
> opens directly to one project. Learn more: [Content
> Hub](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/content-management/content-hub/)

## Prerequisites

- A [content hub](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/content-management/content-hub/) (included in MULTI, FULL, or ULTRA plans)
- Recommended: at least one "default" project for the hub portal
- Projects ready to be added to your channel

## Create a channel

- Open your dashboard > **Apps**: <https://pandasuite.com/dashboard/publish>
- Select your application (content hub).
- In the **Channels** section, click **Create Channel**.

[Image: Channels section of an app page: the Create Channel button is framed, above an existing channel]

- Provide:
  - Channel name
  - Icon 1024×1024 px
  - Add one or more projects to the channel. There is no limit.
- Click **Create Channel**.

[Image: Create Channel window: icon and Name, the framed Add project button to choose the content, and the Create Channel button]

> **Info: About the channel icon**
>
> The icon is used as a loading icon for this channel on the Web and native
> versions (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux).

## Share access to a channel

Access is via a unique link specific to each channel. This link is automatically generated when the channel is created.

- On your app page, the **Channels** section shows this link under the channel name.

- Use the dropdown menu to select the format of your choice based on your generated binaries.

[Image: Channels section of an app page: the access link of a channel and its dropdown menu set to Web are framed]

- Open the channel options (**⋮**) to share this link: **Copy link**, **QR code** to display a code your users can scan, **Send by email**, or **Embed** to get the code that [embeds the channel in a website](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/web-publishing/embed-into-a-website/). The same menu gives access to **Settings**, where you add or remove the projects of the channel.

Note:

- **Web** / **PWA**: the user directly opens the channel via the link.
- **iOS** / **Android**: the user first installs the hub (from the App Store/Play Store), then clicks on the link again to open the channel within the hub.
- **Windows** / **macOS** / **Linux**: the user first installs the desktop app, then opens the link on the same computer, with the dropdown set to **Desktop**. A web page opens and launches the installed app on the channel. If the app does not open, click **Open the installed app** on that page.

> **Warning: Access control**
>
> The access link "unlocks" the channel in the user's hub. For sensitive
> content, combine this distribution mechanism with project-level controls
> (e.g., authentication).

## Navigate between portal and channels

The experience varies depending on the platform.

- **Web** / **PWA**: the portal and channels are independent: accessed via their own link.
- **iOS** / **Android**: within the hub, open the sidebar menu to switch between the portal and unlocked channels.
- **Windows** / **macOS** / **Linux**: use the **Applications** menu of the app to return to the portal or change channels. It lists the channels already opened on this computer, and the app reopens the last one when it starts. If a channel contains multiple projects, there is a Home icon in each project: it returns to the channel and allows navigation from project to project.

> **Info: Native app navigation menu**
>
> In native iOS/Android apps, the sidebar menu can be hidden from **Settings** ▸
> **Display** ▸ **Appearance** by enabling **Hide navigation menu**. Use this
> only when you want the hub or channel to feel standalone, because users will
> no longer use that menu to move between the portal and unlocked channels.

## Dedicate a device to a channel

To have each kiosk, interactive display, or exhibition computer show its own content, install the same desktop app on every device and open a different channel on each one. You do not need one app per device.

1. Create one channel per device, with only the project that this device shows. With a single project, the channel opens directly on it, without the Home icon.
2. Generate the desktop app once per operating system of your devices (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and, on Linux, once per package format. For devices used by the public, enable the full-screen launch in **Launch method** when you generate it: see the [Windows](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/desktop-publishing/export-an-exe-file/), [macOS](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/desktop-publishing/export-a-dmg-file/), or [Linux](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/desktop-publishing/export-a-linux-package/) export.
3. Install the app on each device.
4. In the **Channels** section of your app page, set the dropdown of the channel's link to **Desktop**, then copy the link or send it by email.
5. On the device, open this link in the browser. The installed app opens on the channel. If it does not, click **Open the installed app** on the page that opens.
6. Close and reopen the app: it opens directly on this channel. The app always reopens the last channel opened on the device. In Kiosk Mode on macOS and Linux, only a channel link opened this way changes it: navigating inside the app does not.

> **Info: Content and internet connection**
>
> Only an app with a single project can embed its content in the package, with
> **Asset management (offline)**. An app that distributes several channels
> loads their content from the internet: plan an internet connection on each
> device.

## Manage and delete a channel

- **Edit its name**: change the channel's name and icon directly from the Channels block.
- **Edit its content**: select the channel and click **Manage project(s)** to edit its content. You can remove every project: the channel and its access link stay. Removed content leaves devices at their next online refresh, except a project that the portal or another channel still lists.
- **Delete a channel**: click the **Delete channel** button. The channel and its access link are removed.

[Image: Page of a channel in the dashboard: its project is up to date, and the Manage project(s) and Delete channel buttons are framed]

> **Info: Impact of deletion**
>
> Deleting a channel removes access to this grouping. The projects themselves
> are not deleted from your account. Just make sure they remain available via
> the portal or other channels if necessary.

## Best practices

- Define your audiences in advance: create 1 channel per team, market, or event to maintain a clear structure.
- Name and illustrate clearly: facilitate user understanding.
- Only one project per channel for an "immersive" experience (without the Home icon).
- Test links on each platform (Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux) before distribution.
- Secure sensitive content: combine channel link and authentication mechanisms at the project level.

## Related resources

- [Content Hub](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/content-management/content-hub/)
- [MULTI Plan](https://docs.pandasuite.com/account/subscription/the-multi-plan/)
- [FULL Plan](https://docs.pandasuite.com/account/subscription/the-full-plan/)
- [ULTRA Plan](https://docs.pandasuite.com/account/subscription/the-ultra-plan/)
- [Distribute via PandaSuite Hub](https://docs.pandasuite.com/essentials/mobile-publishing/hub/distribute-your-app-via-private-hub/)